Last night, I got to do something I didn't dare put on The List, because I thought it couldn't happen: camping with Henry!
Over the summer, I signed Henry up for
this wonderful program at Hard Bargain Farm. It meets once a month on Mondays during the school year (designed for homeschooled children), but the first and last meeting of the year include an optional "overnight adventure." I very much wanted to do this, but couldn't figure out how to make it work with the rest of the family. Finally on Sunday, I told Dan that's all I wanted for my birthday, and he agreed we would figure it out. It took until 10 pm that night for all the details to come together, but we did it!
I brought all three boys to the farm for the morning. Jude, Felix and I had fun exploring while Henry participated in the program. I left Henry there under the care of another very kind parent while I took the little ones home and settled them down for their naps. A friend came over to stay with them until Dan got home from work, and I headed back to the farm with all of our "camping" gear!
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| {Henry and some other early risers eagerly helped prepare breakfast} |
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| {playing with sticks...what else do boys do outside?} |
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| {learning about pollinators} |
It was such a treat to spend that time with just Henry. It allowed me to observe him more than I'm ever able when I have all three, and I enjoyed seeing the way he made friends, interacted with the other kids, took initiative to be the first to sign up on the chores list, etc. I even had time for some kitting while the kids told stories around the campfire.
This morning we visited the Children's Garden and helped milk the cows:
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| {observing a monarch caterpillar} |
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| {Farmer Anne instructing the kids how to pick green beans} |
It was hard for both of us to leave! We look forward to the next session in October.
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